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10 Dec 2016 4:16:02am

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Bill Heffernan says that when it comes to food production, we simply do not know what the world will be like in 50 years time. Wrong. We may not be able to describe the world of 2062 with complete accuracy but in broad outline, we do know what to expect as a result of population growth and climate change. It is very likely that in Australia we will have to contend with the following:

• A world population of around 8 billion competing for increasingly scarce food and water with 10-20% at risk of starvation.

• Average global temperature in the order of 2-3°C warmer than to-day.

• Increased incidence of heat-waves, drought and major bushfires.

• Continued rapid melting of polar ice sheets and retreat of mountain glaciers.

• Sea level on the coastline north of Brisbane – Perth, 90-100 cm. higher than today and continuing to rise at over twice the global average.

• Flooding by the sea and salination of low-lying agricultural land along the east and west coasts.

• Loss of infrastructure and destruction of buildings located on low lands along the coastline – including major assets such as Cairns, Brisbane and Sydney airports.

• Increasing rodent and insect infestation causing loss of food crops and trees, particularly in the southern half of the continent.

And that is just a taste on the state of things to come. In summary, we can be sure of a harsher, more extreme climate, loss of agricultural land and greater difficulty in growing and distributing food crops. If Senator Heffernan consulted or listened to the Climate Commission, CSIRO or other informed climate scientists, he would know that this prognosis is reasonably accurate and, unlike the assurances of Tony Abbott, it is not one to which we or our South East Asian neighbours can easily adapt.

Mike PopeBundaberg.

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